


What Else is Family For?

by Nagem



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cousin Incest, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-08
Updated: 2012-04-08
Packaged: 2017-11-09 03:12:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/450621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nagem/pseuds/Nagem
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Frank decided to take him in when he turned eighteen and got a place of his own. But that was before he knew Gerard was an obnoxious asshole.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Else is Family For?

Frank dragged himself into the apartment building, head hanging low. He reached into his pocket, drawing out his room key. He let out a sigh as he reached out a hand, shoving the key into the lock and slowly turning it. He heard a _click_ , signaling that the door was unlocked. He closed his eyes and opened up the door, stepping inside and kicking the door shut behind him.

Frank walked into the dark kitchen, only mildly suspicious as to where his idiot roommate was. He resisted shouting out his name as he tossed the key onto the counter and sliding his jacket off of his shoulders. He wanted to remain as quiet as he possibly could—God knows Frank didn't want to actually talk to him.

He lightly threw the jacket over the chair next to the coffee table and headed over to the refrigerator, carefully opening it and looking inside. Frank clicked his tongue as he examined the contents.

"Hey, there, Frank!"

Frank closed his eyes and let out a silent curse before standing up straight, shutting the 'fridge. "Hey, Gerard." He turned on his heel, seeing his roommate in the doorway. He scanned his appearance, noticing that he had, yet again, failed to get out of the place again.

Gerard was dressed in gray sweatpants with an extremely baggy, black tee pulled over his torso. His eyes were big and bloodshot, and his black hair remained untidy and tangled. He was certainly exceeding his title of 'the bum cousin' perfectly.

He waved his fingers, giggling. "Why are you home early?" He walked over to the other, pushing on his shoulder to make him clear the way to the 'fridge.

Frank narrowed his eyes and moved past him, going into the small living room. He plopped down on the couch, tilting his head to lean against the black material. "Because I wanted to."

Gerard opened up the refrigerator, looking inside. "Yeah?" he questioned, as if he didn't believe Frank. He pulled out a bottle of Coke Zero and backed up a few steps. He stretched out his foot to kick the door closed. He seemed to struggle a bit as he let out a little groan in the process. Finally, he closed it and walked into the living room, standing by the chair. He unscrewed the cap. "I thought you had that big date." He took a drink before lowering the bottle and smiling. "You know"—he wiggled his eyebrows—"that big date."

Frank's eyes slid closed, and he lowered a hand to wrap his fingers around a pillow. He resisted chucking it at him, though. His grip relaxed. "She had to do something."

Gerard let out a dry laugh before sitting down in the chair, legs tucked underneath him. "So, you mean she didn't want to."

Frank opened up an eye and tightened his grip. "No. She had to do something."

He laughed even more. "Did she look at your size and say 'we should do this some other time. I'm not ready.'" He nodded. "She did, didn't she?"

Frank groaned and picked up the pillow, throwing it at Gerard's head. "Don't you have to go be a waste of space somewhere else?"

Gerard caught the pillow after it had bounced off his head and held it close to his chest. He watched his cousin with sad eyes. "That actually hurt, Frank." The brunette turned his head to look at him. He started to laugh. "But the pain quickly died down, since you used the same excuse, oh, I don't know"—he stood up from the chair, bottle in one hand, pillow in the other—"fourteen hundred thousand times." He threw it at Frank's head before disappearing into the far room on the right.

 

Frank's aunt Donna Lee—Gerard's mom—had died in a car crash when he was twelve. Gerard had been in the car with her when it happened, but luckily he didn't get hurt. It was around Christmas time when it happened. They were traveling home to New Jersey. Of course, in the winter time, the roads were bound to be icy. They were turning a sharp corner when Donna lost control of the car and drove off the hill. The wreck itself was pretty nasty. It was a wonder Gerard, who had been sitting in the front seat, hadn't been hurt—at all.

Since then, Gerard had been passed around to any willing relative who would take him in. But the kid hadn't been able to stay for a week before he'd get into a bit of trouble and had to be dropped off somewhere else.

It was sad, really, and that's why Frank decided to take him in when he turned eighteen and got a place of his own.

But that was before he knew Gerard was an obnoxious asshole.

Frank woke up the next morning and dragged himself out of bed. He attempted to navigate through the house while rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

He approached the coffee-maker and leaned against the counter it was on. He held his head in his hands and rubbed his temples. He really didn't want to go to class today, or work, for that matter. Frank reached out a hand, blindly searching for the coffee pot. Maybe a cup of coffee could change his mind…

He pulled out the coffee pot and walked over to the sink, pouring some water into the pot. He smacked his lips together and went back over to the coffee-maker, lifting up the top portion and carefully pouring the water into it. Frank set the pot back where it belonged and pressed the button to turn it on.

Nothing happened.

He furrowed his eyebrows and smashed his finger against the button repeatedly. "What?" Frank breathed out, running a hand through his hair.

A few more smashes, and it still hadn't turned on.

" _Motherfucker_."

He repeatedly pressed his finger against the button and looked around the kitchen, eyes narrowed because of the darkness. He looked back at the coffee-maker. "Shoot me in the face."

"Making some coffee?"

The lights flipped on, making Frank scrunch up his face. He raised up a hand to rub at his eyes and looked around the kitchen. He looked over at the doorway, seeing Gerard leaning against the doorframe—with a coffee cup in his hand.

Frank lifted up his hand, waving a finger at the cup. "Where did you get that?" He asked quickly, words slurring together.

Gerard raised an eyebrow. "Hmm? Where I get what? This coffee? This cup right here?" He lifted up the cup he was holding and took a long drink from it. He lowered it from his lips and smacked them. "Oh. I made it."

Frank looked at him in disbelief. "But. How?"

Gerard smirked and drummed his fingertips against the cup. "I made it with that coffee-maker." He pointed at the device Frank was previously struggling with. "Well, before I broke it."

Frank narrowed his eyes. "Asshole." He turned on his heel and stomped into his bedroom, leaving a cackling Gerard behind him.

 

It was four in the evening, and Frank was at work, sitting behind a counter at Borders, grouchy and unpleasant. He had snapped at almost all the people that had approached him that day, including his professors during his classes. He tried to keep his temper, but that was hard to do when your life was falling apart from the inside out from your annoying cousin.

Okay, maybe it wasn't that bad, but Frank was still stressed.

He held his head in his hands, rubbing his temples. He let out a low sigh and raised up his head, turning it to look at the clock on the far side of the shop. He only had to suffer through this for forty-five more minutes. He could do that, right?

Frank snorted as he slid off the little stool that was provided behind the counter. He walked over to the edge and stood on his tip toes, stretching a bit. He peered past the nearby bookcases and saw his girlfriend, Jamia Nestor, working at the music section. She was ringing up a customer's items. Frank watched her with a small smile. He settled back on his feet and began to chew on his lip. She looked so _damn_ good right now. He smirked a bit before stepping back a bit, attempting to make an effort back to his stool. He had no idea why she wouldn't have sex with him. Was she planning to save herself for marriage?

Frank was not going to wait for that. Not in a million years.

He was imagining what he would have done to Jamia on the counter before him when his fantasies were interrupted by someone jumping in front of him, waving his hands.

"Boo, fucker!"

Frank flinched and held up his hands to shield his face. He leaned against the bookshelf behind him and widened his eyes. Gerard was in front of him, arms around his stomach, laughing. Frank narrowed his eyes. "You asshole."

Gerard threw his head back and continued to laugh. "You were so scared," he breathed out in between laughs. He raised up a hand to wipe an eye.

Frank grimaced and approached the counter, reaching out a hand to grab the collar of Gerard's shirt. He pulled him in, making their faces inches apart. "Why are you even here?" he asked. He wrinkled his nose. He could smell the faint scent of body odor on the other.

Gerard continued to laugh. "I followed you here."

"What for?"

"I wanted to see my little cousin working so very hard."

Frank growled and tightened his grip, pulling Gerard in closer. "Listen here, assmunch. I was nice enough to take you under my wing and give you a place to stay, because nobody else wanted you." He shook him. "The least you could do is act like you're fucking grateful, okay?"

Gerard slowly frowned and blinked. "But, Frank, I am grateful—"

"—Frank!"

Frank turned his head, seeing Jamia stand a couple feet away from Gerard. His eyes widened, and he tossed Gerard aside. "Jam! What are you doing here?"

Jamia furrowed her eyebrows and took a step towards him. "Were you just… Did you… Frank!" She shook her head and raised up a hand to cover her mouth. "I can't believe you!" She turned and hurried out of the store, muttering words of disgust underneath her breath.

Frank stared at the door in disbelief. "Does she seriously think—" He didn't finish his statement, though, because he knew that, yes, Jamia did think he was kissing Gerard. He clenched his jaw and turned his head, looking at the man in question. He raised up an accusingly finger. "You dick." He walked around the counter and started out of the store, shouting at Jamia, telling her "it was just my cousin".

That, somehow, didn't make it better.

 

Frank dragged himself into the apartment later that evening after many failed attempts of reconciling his relationship with Jamia. He had tried countless times to explain to her that he wasn't _kissing_ Gerard, he was simply _yelling_ at him… really, really close to his face. But nothing seemed to please his, now, ex-girlfriend.

Frank aimed to go into his bedroom and wallow in his self-pity for at least several hours, but he ended up collapsing on the couch in a groaning fit. He laid there for several minutes until the door to the bedroom down the hall opened. He wanted to roll his eyes, but he didn't even have the motivation to at this time. So he continued to lay there, face down in a pillow.

"Hey, Frank," a soft voice said above him.

"No, fuck off," he replied, his voice muffled.

A sigh was heard before Gerard sat down beside Frank on the couch. He reached out a hand, touching Frank's back. "So, things didn't go as planned?"

Frank growled. "Fuck. Off."

He frowned and pulled his hand back to his chest. "Come on… That's no reason to be a grouchy puss."

Frank rolled over on his back and looked up at Gerard. He stared at him with a straight face. "She told me to go to Kentucky, because we would be happy together there."

Gerard slowly frowned. "Well, that's not very nice."

The brunette groaned and pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes, rubbing them. "I have such a headache," he muttered.

The two cousins sat in silence, then, not really knowing what to say or do. Finally, Frank wrinkled up his nose and sniffed. "Did you take a shower?" he asked quietly, turning his head, staring at Gerard with narrowed eyes.

The black-haired blushed a bit and lowered his head. He played with his hands. "Uh, yeah. I-I did." He bit his lip. "Why do you ask?"

Frank sat up and turned on the cushion, sitting up straight against the back of the couch. "I can smell your shampoo."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"It's lavender-scented."

"I know."

Frank lowered his head and clenched his knuckles, watching them turn white. He heard Gerard sigh. He lifted his head, looking at his cousin. "What?"

"Look, I know this girl obviously meant a lot to you, and I know this is going to sound like I'm trying to be a dick, but I'm just being truthful: there are other fish in the sea. Even if you have to go out with a few skanky girls first, you'll find the right one in the end. And, believe it or not, the person you were actually looking for is usually real obvious."

Frank lifted up his head, staring at Gerard. He studied him for a second or two before smiling. "Thank you."

Gerard smiled. "You're welcome." He leaned forward and gave Frank a peck on his cheek. He pulled away, still smiling. Frank stared at him, eyes wide. He raised up a hand to touch his cheek.

"What the hell."

Gerard slowly frowned. "Can I not do that?"

"No! It's kinda… gay."

Gerard blinked and continued to frown. "Oh. Well. I'm sorry." He turned his head to face front. He grimaced.

Frank frowned himself. "I should be saying sorry."

Gerard waved his hand. "No. It's my fault. You weren't the one making moves on your cousin."

"Someone thought I was. Does that count?"

Gerard slowly smiled before lowering his head. "No," he muttered, locking his fingers together and shaking his head.

Silence rang in the room, creating an awkward tension between the two of them. Finally, Gerard took a deep breath and sat up a little straighter. "Can I sleep with you?"

"What?" Frank looked over at him, eyes wide.

The other groaned and smacked his palm against his forehead. "No, no. I mean. God. Like." He turned his head, looking over at Frank. "Can we, like, cuddle? Sleep together… like… actually sleep?" Frank continued to stare at him with a blank expression. Gerard frowned and waved a hand. "Just forget it." He grumbled and looked ahead, wrapping his arms around his stomach.

Frank studied the older, frowning a bit. He sighed and looked down. "Yeah, sure." He turned his head to look at the ground. "We can cuddle."

Gerard's eyes widen. "Really?" He stared at him. Frank only nodded and let out a soft "yeah". Gerard smiled and moved around on the couch, looking around. "Here?"

The brunette nodded and looked around himself. He carefully laid down, leaning his head against a pillow. He closed his eyes, putting his arms behind his head, attempting to get comfortable. Gerard stared at him before moving around, hovering above the younger. He scanned his face, softly beginning to smile. Frank cracked his eyes and saw the other staring. He let out a smile himself. "Come on, man. Get comfy."

Gerard smiled and carefully laid down on top of Frank, resting his head on his chest. He curled his fingers against his shirt. He closed his eyes and sniffed. Frank lowered a hand and placed it on his back, the spot in between his shoulder blades. His own fingers curled.

He fell asleep with the lavender-scented shampoo around him.

 

Frank woke up the next morning feeling extremely hot and sticky. He turned his head to the side, but ended up bumping his nose against Gerard's cheek. He raised up a hand to rub his eyes. He looked down at Gerard after doing so.

Somehow during the night, the other seemed to crawl up to Frank's neck, burying his head in the crook of it. He had an arm tucked into his side, and the other was sprawled across Frank's chest, his hand threaded into the brown locks.

Frank felt smothered.

He reached out his hand, prodding Gerard in the side. "Come on. Wake up." He jabbed his finger into his ribs, then, when he didn't show signs of waking up. Gerard groaned and rocked a bit.

"Five more minutes…" His grip tightened on Frank's hair.

Frank sighed. "No. Now." He began to repeatedly jab at his side. "Wake uuuuuuuup," he groaned, arching his back. Gerard responded with another groan and a tug. Frank sighed and fell back against the couch, looking up at the ceiling. "Fine," he said, shaking his head.

He laid there in silence, with Gerard still firmly attached to him. Maybe it was a mistake letting his cousin sleep with him. Frank shook his head and closed his eyes again.

A couple of minutes later, Frank felt movement on the couch, and the death grip on his hair had disappeared. He was about to open his eyes when he felt something on top of him, and a pair of lips against his own. Frank's eyes widened, seeing Gerard. He raised up a hand, pressing his palm against the other's cheek, urging him to pull away, but Gerard took it as a sign of encouragement and parted his lips, continuing to kiss him.

After, Gerard slowly pulled away, and Frank heard the sound of their lips disconnecting. He stared at Gerard with wide eyes, and the other only gave him a crooked smile. "You have morning breath." He dipped his head down, placed a kiss on his lips again, before getting off of him and heading into his bedroom, leaving a confused Frank on the couch.

 

Frank went to work after his classes that day, mind racing with inappropriate thoughts and feelings. He sat behind the counter of the books section, turning his head to see if he could see Jamia at the music section. She was rearranging CDs in the shelves. Frank bit his lip and resisted to run over to her. Instead, he slipped his phone out of his pocket and texted her.

_Hey there. You look nice today. Xo._

Jamia looked down and patted her pocket. She furrowed her brow and drew out her phone. Frank watched as she rapidly began to text back.

_Leave me alone, or I'll call the police._

Frank frowned as he read the message.

_Come on, Jam. Don't be that way. I wanna try again. I've missed you._

_I am sorry, Frank, but I'm seeing someone else._

Frank threw a glare at the back of Jamia's head.

_Doesn't he know that the five second rule only applies to food?_

Jamia snapped her phone shut and shoved it in her pocket after that, and Frank only smiled. He put his own phone away as he heard a tap on the counter. He turned his head, seeing Gerard standing there. He had an Icee in his hand along with a book tucked under his arm. "Things aren't going well?"

Frank frowned and shook his head. "No." He rested his chin on his palm as he looked down. "Sucks."

Gerard slurped. "Yeah."

Several seconds of silence passed before Frank pointed at the book under Gerard's arm. "Did you want to buy that?"

The other held the book out in front of him. He shook his head. "Nah. I'm just pretending that I wanted to buy something so I could talk to you." He set the book on the counter as he took another drink. "You can put that up." He turned and started out of the store, managing to stay clear out of Jamia's sight.

Frank smiled a bit and looked down at the book Gerard had 'pretended to want'. His face immediately softened. _How Do You Know When You're Really in Love?: An LDS Guide to Dating, Courtship, and Marriage_

 

Frank had put up the book as Gerard had told him to do, but not without putting some thought into the whole situation at hand. Did Gerard really have… feelings for him, or was that just something to fuck around with?

As this processed through Frank's mind, he began to realize that if he did start to have a thing with Gerard, it wouldn't be so bad. They wouldn't be able to have any children, so the whole 'we're cousins' deal wouldn't matter… right?

Frank felt extremely disgusted of himself as he headed back to his apartment. He planned to stay in his room that evening and distance himself from his cousin. He wanted to be locked away in his own little world. But his intentions steered far away from reality, as Gerard greeted him once he entered the apartment with a smile and a cup of coffee.

"I saw that Jamia seemed a little mad when I left today. Wanna talk about it?" He stretched out his arm, holding the coffee cup under Frank's nose.

He sighed and slowly nodded. "Sure."

He took the coffee cup as Gerard closed the door behind him.

 

Over the next few days, Gerard continued to give Frank a support system, in case he needed anybody to talk to. Frank didn't neglect to take him up on that offer, though. He turned to Gerard for everything, discussing what he should do, what he needed to do, and even complain if Jamia shot him a dirty look or if she brought her new 'boy toy' around to show off.

And as through each passing day, each conversation that the two of them had, Frank realized that Gerard wasn't really the bum, asshole, obnoxious cousin that he was before. Maybe it was because he wasn't dating Jamia anymore, or Gerard just decided to change his ways, Frank didn't know, but he liked the change.

After one day of ranting off to the other, Frank exited his bedroom and went to lay down on the couch, planning to take a nap. He hadn't had work that day, and he figured he had earned himself a nap for being such a good boy and talking out his feelings to pass the time. He put his arms behind his head and closed his eyes, letting out a sigh as he sunk down into the couch.

Moments later, his peace was interrupted by something grabbing his arm and pulling on it. Frank opened his eyes, seeing Gerard moving onto the couch, holding onto his arm for support. He furrowed his brow. "What on earth are you doing?" he asked in a soft tone, scooting over to give Gerard some room.

The other laid down, pressing his back against Frank's side. "Going to take a nap, too. That a problem?" He draped Frank's arm over his shoulders, acting like it was a stuffed animal as he held onto it. Frank frowned and pulled his arm back.

"Gimme that."

Gerard frowned himself and turned over, staring at the brunette. "Hey."

"Hello."

Gerard smiled and punched Frank's arm. "I'll just hold you, then." He scooted closer and wrapped his arms around Frank's middle, pressing himself close. He laid his head on Frank's chest, closing his eyes. He took a deep breath. "I took another shower," he muttered, barely moving his lips.

Frank looked down at Gerard, not really knowing why he had to know that. He slowly nodded. "Cool."

The black-head sat up a bit, scooting closer to Frank. "Can you smell the lavender?" he asked, looking ahead.

He roughly swallowed. "Uh." He carefully leaned forward, pressing his nose to Gerard's neck, taking a deep breath. "Yeah." He pulled away a bit, sniffing. "Yeah, I can. It smells nice." He smiled a bit.

Gerard turned his head, brushing his nose against Frank's. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Frank wet his lips.

The two stared at each other, as the world seemed to stop around them. Gerard slowly leaned in a bit, before shaking his head and pulling away. "I shouldn't."

Frank shook his own head. "Allow me." He reached up a hand to cup the back of Gerard's head, pulling him closer and kissing his top lip. Gerard instantly parted his own and reciprocated the action, pressing his palms against each side of his neck.

Gerard moved around and straddled Frank's hips, pulling the younger in closer as he arched his back. He tilted his head, breathing out a bit as he felt Frank's lips part. His tongue slid out and prodded at the other's lips before tracing them. Frank moaned softly before tugging on Gerard's hair, pressing him closer. Their tongues tangled together carefully, slowly sliding against each other. Gerard flicked his tongue, and Frank rolled his. They shuddered and held each other closer.

Finally, Frank slowly pulled away, looking at his cousin in awe. He studied him before blinking. "Thank you."

Gerard sat down on his hips. "For what?" He furrowed his brow.

Frank stared at him with a blank expression. Why was he thanking him? He wet his lips and shrugged. "For everything. You've been a great pal." He set a hand on Gerard's side, curling his fingers in.

Gerard slowly smiled and leaned down, stealing another kiss from his cousin's lips. "What else is family for?"


End file.
